Song of the Valley CHAPTER V
Here follows the Song of the Valley of Onesi:
A mighty king in Onesi there was of old,
A leader great, plundering riches in wartime.
Gorvekal his name, they called him Bold:
On palace stairs he ruled the land as prime.
In gold, silver, and ebony he dressed these halls,
In countless feasts delighted rich and poor,
And wine and mead he poured in waterfalls,
But mortals overdoing pay the more.
Since the eternal Gods know every soul,
And certainly their end is souls to improve,
Before them glory and deeds count less than coal,
For, great beyond compare, Doom cannot move.
Divine eyes saw what human sight could not:
Gorvekal and his men knew only fame,
But witless were they, vile and vain their lot!
And all they cherished wealth and drunken game.
